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In English law,
the Assize of novel disseisin ("recent
dispossession") was an action to recover lands of which the
plaintiff had been disseised, or dispossessed. The action became
extremely popular due to its expediency. Rather than dealing with
the issue of lawful possession, it simply asked whether a
dispossession had taken place, in which case the property was
restored to the plaintiff, and the question of true ownership was
dealt with later.